1. Field
The following description relates to a refrigerator/freezer ice bucket.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional ice bucket for a refrigerator/freezer unit is a plastic bin that is used to store ice cubes. If an icemaker is included in the refrigerator/freezer unit, the ice bucket may be placed underneath the icemaker to collect ice cubes made by the icemaker. The ice cubes made can be preserved in the ice bucket until being retrieved by a user of the refrigerator/freezer unit.
If an ice dispenser is included in the refrigerator/freezer unit, the ice bucket may be machined to accept an auger provided by the ice dispenser. The auger may force ice cubes stored in the ice bucket to the ice dispenser when the user makes a request for ice cubes via the ice dispenser. A spring hinge or the like can be used by the icemaker to detect a volume of ice cubes within the ice bucket in order to inhibit the icemaker from making more ice cubes than can be contained by the ice bucket.
The plastic bin serving as the conventional ice bucket for an icemaker and an ice dispenser is machined to accept a certain, nonadjustable volume of ice cubes and an auger to force the ice cubes from the ice bucket to the ice dispenser when a request for ice cubes is made by a user. While the user typically desires a large ice bucket so a large amount of ice cubes can be stored therein, a large ice bucket may have an adverse effect on available space inside the refrigerator/freezer unit for storage of other items. Further, while the user typically desires a large amount of available storage space for other items inside the refrigerator/freezer unit, a smaller ice bucket may be inconvenient for the maintenance of a large amount of ice cubes for occasions such as parties, hosting guests, cooler use during long trips, or the like.